Former UFC fighter Tim Kennedy has reportedly been shot multiple times in the leg during an ambush in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he was working with private military contractor Vectus Group.
Kennedy is receiving treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington DC and is expected to survive, according to reports.
Vectus Group, which is owned by Erik Prince, co-founder of the now-defunct Blackwater, was assisting the Congolese army when it suffered serious casualties earlier this week. Around 20 people were killed or injured in the attack, including Kennedy.
Congolese personnel and a former New Zealand special forces soldier were among those reported killed. The incident is said to have been Vectus Group’s first fatality in the Congo.
A spokesperson for the company declined to comment on the attack when approached for a response.
Kennedy, who spent 15 years competing in mixed martial arts, compiled a professional record of 18 wins and six defeats. He fought in the UFC, WEC and Strikeforce before joining the US Army in 2004.
He later moved from active duty to the Texas Army National Guard in 2009.
